by Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY Sports

by Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 Alabama at No. 6 Texas A&M is dominating the headlines this week for good reason, but the two SEC West favorites aren't the only teams in the conference with a shot at winning the national championship. Though Georgia, South Carolina and Florida each has lost a game just two weeks into the season, there's good reason to believe that any of them, along with 2-0 LSU, could wind up in the national title game. We make a case for each of those four SEC teams.

1. Georgia: The Bulldogs already got two of their toughest games out of the way, and beating South Carolina in conference play was certainly more vital than the Clemson game. Georgia's favorable schedule is what makes the team most likely to win it all. After hosting LSU on Sept. 28, the Bulldogs are in open water for three weeks until the Florida game on Nov. 2.

The frontrunner right now in the SEC East, Georgia will run into a tough matchup in the conference title game if they win the division, and a loss there would certainly knock them out of the running for the national championship.

Georgia's rivalry game against Georgia Tech in the final week of the regular season is far more manageable than the rivalry games facing the Bulldogs' division mates South Carolina and Florida, which play Clemson and Florida State, respectively.

2. LSU: The SEC's toughest schedule keeps the Tigers off the top of this list. If having to run the gauntlet of the West wasn't enough, LSU faces Florida and plays at Georgia in inter-divisional play.

LSU's offense was anemic last season, but new coordinator Cam Cameron has opened things up for the Tigers. A deep passing game is something LSU has lacked in recent years, and with Zach Mettenberger looking strong so far, the Tigers' aerial attack will cause headaches for opponents.

Unfortunately for LSU, the Alabama and Texas A&M games come near the end of the season, not allowing for much time to make up ground in the polls if they lose either of those games. Depending on how the season shakes out though, a win in either might give the Tigers a tiebreaker that could capture the SEC West and a chance to play themselves into the national title picture.

3. South Carolina: Getting a loss out of the way early is always a good thing, and the Gamecocks did that last week in Athens. Now they can spend the rest of the season working their way back up in the polls. South Carolina avoids the West's elite teams in regular season play and should realistically expect to win the next seven games. The Gamecocks finish with four consecutive home games, including Florida on Nov. 16 and Clemson to close out the season.

If South Carolina ends up 11-1, that will almost certainly guarantee a BCS bowl berth. But will enough teams stumble â?? SEC or otherwise â?? to put Carolina in position to play for the national title?

4. Florida: The only of the SEC East contenders yet to play a conference game, Florida can get itself back into the national championship picture with a win at LSU on Oct. 12. A loss might put an end to any hope the Gators may still have after losing last week at Miami. A lot of things would have to go in Florida's favor to be a two-loss team in be in contention to win it all.

The Gators' defense can go toe-to-toe with any team in the country, but quarterback Jeff Driskel's performance last week makes it hard to envision the offense being efficient enough to grind out wins in low-scoring games.

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